The invention relates in general to munitions and in particular to guns, such as, for example, mortars and artillery.
When using a 120 mm breech-loaded mortar weapon, for example, the rounds (ammunition) may sometime misfire. It is difficult to determine if the round has been struck by the firing pin, or if the firing pin has been damaged. The mortar weapon may use a revolving firing pin. A suitable revolving firing pin is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/008,782 filed on Jan. 10, 2008, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The revolving firing pin may be aligned to strike the round only when the mortar system breech block is closed and locked. A prior firing pin solenoid was not attached to the firing pin. Thus, the firing pin position could not be seen from outside of the breech mechanism. And, there was no indication of what did or did not occur in the mortar system when a round misfired. Because of the danger of a slow burn, the breech block could not be immediately opened after a misfire. After waiting a period of time, for example, ten minutes, the breech block could be opened to inspect the firing pin and determine the cause of the misfire.
A need exists for an apparatus to provide an indication of the cause of a misfire in a breech-loaded weapon.